1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to methods and apparatus for automatic censorship of audio-video programming, which includes television broadcasts, cablecasts, direct satellite narrowcasts, distribution of video tape or video disk recordings, or any other means whatsoever for mass distribution of audio-video information, and, more specifically, my invention relates to frame-by-frame censorship of audio-video programming in accordance with a viewer-selectable multivariate censorship mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Censorship of audio-video material is an accepted means for preventing access to violent or pornographic material by minors or sensitive adults. Such censorship may take the form of a movie rating system for controlling access to theaters, broadcast reception blocking receiver decoders or parental advisories preceding a broadcast and other similar methods. In some cases viewers censor themselves, taking discretionary action such as closing their eyes or avoiding movies or video broadcasts all together to avoid the discomfort of seeing or hearing objectionable program material. Audio-video programming vendors are obliged to carefully balance the moral convictions of some viewers with the aesthetics of others. Various segments of society find offense in different subject matters, such as adult situations, nudity/sex, violence and distasteful language. One viewer may object to a simple kiss on the screen but find bloody mayhem entertaining and another may be offended by a simple blow to the nose while easily tolerating full frontal nudity. Satisfying the general social aesthetic without muting the artistic and entertainment value of audio-video programming requires a very delicate and difficult balancing act.
Cinema production companies, wishing to attract as large an audience as possible, may choose to script and produce cinema productions with R-ratings, knowing that large minority segments of the population will be dissuaded from viewing such an R-rated film. In fact, the display of R- and X-rated movies is often restricted by local zoning ordinances, which results in undesired restrictions on the audience size for the nonobjectionable portions of such cinema productions as well as the objectionable material.
Practitioners in the art have long been aware of the difficult problems presented by variations in taste and artistic sentiment in the general population and the effect of these problems on the distribution of audio-video programming. There is a long felt need in the art for a reliable and useful means for automatic censorship of audio-video programming material according to a multivariate set of preselected classifications. The censorship methods known in the art generally suffer from a number of unresolved deficiencies.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,404, issued to Von Kohorn, discloses a remote recording and editing system for use with audio-video broadcast programming. Von Kohorn teaches the monitoring of broadcast transmissions at the transmitter to develop recording and editing command signals for separate transmission to a subscribing user, who then makes use of these separate recording and editing signals to censor the related audio-video programming material. Von Kohorn's system is somewhat prone to error because of the real-time monitoring scheme, which does not provide a look-ahead monitoring capability. Another limitation is that, during the period that the material is being censored, Von Kohorn's receiver is merely disabled, presenting intermittent blank screen and/or silence, which may be uncomfortable to the viewer. Thus, his scheme is limited in usefulness to "zapping" commercials and entire program segments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,160, issued to Peter S. Vogel, discloses an automatic censorship technique for audio-video programs involving the receipt of a prescribed classification code or code group together with the associated audio-video programming material. The classification code can be encoded into the broadcast or tape or may originate from a separate source. Vogel uses the classification code to switch a receiver to alternate audio-video programming material during the censored interval. Vogel teaches a method for simple automatic censorship of material such as commercials by complete substitution but does not suggest a means for smoothly obscuring potentially offensive material in a manner that is unobtrusive to the viewer. Neither does Vogel discuss means for retaining the nonoffensive portions of the censored audio-video programming. Moreover, Vogel's method is not suitable for use in selective censorship of audio-video programming based on a multivariate censorship mode selected by the viewer. Vogel's viewer is merely afforded means for diverting to alternate programming material for the duration of a program having a single censorship classification variable.
Other practitioners have introduced audio-video programming methods suitable for use in subscriber pay-TV systems using direct satellite feed. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,131, issued to Horne, discloses an elaborate subscriber audio-video media pay-per-view system. Horne does not consider the problem of intra-program censorship or blocking, however.
A single variable censorship system for an entire audio-video program fails to reflect the multivariate censorship required to please a variety of individual tastes when showing any audio-video programming material. For example, many people would prefer a movie having an R-rating with respect to sexual content, but also desire a G-rating with respect to violence or language content. At any particular point in an audio-video program, the sexual content, the violence content, language content and adult situation content may be classified at different levels. A single variable that reflects the highest level of classification throughout the entire program unjustly and inappropriately overclassifies the preponderance of the audio-video program material that might be enjoyed by even the most sensitive viewer.
Accordingly, there is a strongly-felt need in the art for an automatic multivariate censorship method applicable to audio-video programming that will permit the viewer to select a multivariate mode of censorship that includes a preferred level of censorship for a variety of different subjects, thereby permitting the viewer to enjoy any audio-video programming with the uniquely offensive portions discretely obscured from viewing and hearing. These unresolved problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by my invention in the manner described below.